Curaçao
When the Dutch arrived in 1634, they built forts at key points around the island to protect themselves from foreign powers, privateers and pirates. Six of the best-preserved forts can still be seen today. Most visitors that disembark the cruise ship walk across the famous Queen Emma Pontoon Bridge and take several snaps in the process of the curious bridge, with the multi-colored buildings lining the harbor in the background, in the Punta district. A walk around town is definitely worthwhile with beautiful buildings, statues, history, world-class shops and interesting floating markets. Apart from history and Dutch inspired architecture, Curaçao has more than 35 named beaches and offers fantabulous choices for sun, sand, and surf. Some are intimate pocket beaches in finger
coves surrounded by massive cliffs, while others are expansive stretches of sand secluded by nature or bustling with activities — like Mambo Beach Club, where we stopped. We took a mini-bus tour around part of the island with an extremely informative and entertaining Dutch tour guide who filled us in on the intriguing history of Curaçao and stopped at some of the points of interest along the way, such as the Curaçao Liqueur Factory, Mambo Beach Club and various scenic vantage points. Lastly, our bus drove across the Queen Juliana Bridge. It’s one of the highest bridges in the world, at 185 feet above the St. Anna Bay, designed to accommodate the tanker ships entering the narrow harbor. The views from this bridge were stunning, however we could not stop on the bridge to take any photos.
Now, have you been dying to know what that huge “ dushi ” sign in the middle of Willemstad means? If you call someone “ dushi ,” it means you are calling them “ sweetheart ,” “ babe ,” or even “ sexy .” And that pretty much sums up what I thought of Curaçao: it is a very dushi place! Kathy Marris was 50-something when she started up the blog 50 Shades of Age nine years ago, but has since turned over another decade. She is married with two adult children and lives on the Tweed Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Kathy works as a freelance writer, often capturing the stories of her real passion: traveling and photographing brilliant destinations, both within Australia and overseas.
12
Powered by FlippingBook